Improvement in furniture-casters



S. MYERS. FURNITURE-GAMERS.

No. 195,768: Patented 0015.2,1877.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN MYERS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

IMPROVEMENT IN FURNlTURE-CASTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 195,768, dated October 2, 1877; application filed July 7, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN MYERS, of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furniture-Casters; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention is intended as an improve ment on furniturecasters, especially in their sockets, by adding to the effectiveness of their firm hold in the socket and in the wood. I find the cause of the incessant breakage of the common caster to be principally due to the weakness of the socket and its imperfect retention in the wood, particularly such sizes as are used on chairs, cribs, or other like articles of furniture requiring frequent removal, or upon the rear legs of which one is apt to throw the weight of the body, causing the shank of the caster or the head of the socket to break.

For convenience and cheapness in manufacturing I make my socket preferably in the usual two parts, to secure all that can be obtained by casting instead of boring the hollow part-to wit, a deep, sharp exterior screwworm, a dowel and dowelpin, and a tongue and matching groove, all aiding to firmly hold the socket-pieces together while being driven into the wood with a wrench. A groove is also cast-into the head of the socket, into which a nick leads from the exterior face of the socket-head. This groove and nick are to admit the retaining-nipple c, which is also cast on the shank F of the caster. The socket is caused to taper fiom the line f to its point for safe and easy entrance into the hole. Even a gimlet-point can be sharply cast on such sockets as must of necessity be solid and bored or drilled.

To secure theready removal of the caster out of its socket, thus permitting a bedstead or other like article to stand in a furniturecar during transmission from place to place, without having to withdraw the socket, the shank can be turned in its place until the retaining-nipple finds outlet through the nick 1, leading into the retaining-groove.

Caster-sockets are subject to having their heads broken off by strains, leaving no hold to which a wrench can attach. I therefore cast the square key-seat A in the upper part of the socket, into which a square key can be passed, and the socket unscrewed and backed out or withdrawn with ease.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view, one-half of the socket being removed. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the socket. Fig. 3 shows the caster and shank, with the retaining-nipple c. Fig. 4 shows one part of the socket in vertical section, also showing the dowel d, the tongue and groove 0 and I, which are shown in horizontal section at e, Fig. 5, together with the nick b. Fig. 6 shows, in horizontal section, the part of Fig. 1 which is indicated by the broken lines a a, the square seat there shown being for the reception of a wrench-key.

The following letters in the several figures indicate corresponding parts.

A, Figs. 4 and 6, a square seat to admit a key, with which to withdraw the socket; b, nick to groove D; c, nipple to retain the shank F within the groove D; d, dowel-hole, into which dowel d closely fits; E, socket; e, head of socket; 0, Figs. 1, 4, and 5, tongue to fill groove Z, to give positive firmness to the sock et-head when the screw is entering the leg of the piece of furniture; F, shank of caster; f, line of taper to exterior screw-thread of the socket, to secure its easy entrance into the wood; G, the common caster.

I do not claim, broadly, the application of a screw-thread to the exterior of a caster-socket; but

I claim as my invention In a furniture-caster, the socket having a square key-seat within the same, and an exterior screw-worm terminating its threads in acone-shaped point, and provided with a flange having in the central opening thereof a vertt cal and a horizontal groove, in combination with the caster-spindle to work therein, having a retaining-nipple, all substantially as and for the purposes herein described.

In testimony that I claim the ibregoing as my own invention I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

STEPHEN MYERS.

Witnesses:

ALEX. J. THOMSON, S. S. BIssELL. 

